Disney developing live-action 'Moana' with Dwayne Johnson

NEW YORK

Dwayne Johnson, revealed on April 3 that a live-action reimagining of Disney’s “Moana” is in the works.

“Deeply humbled to announce we’re bringing the beautiful story of MOANA to the live action big screen,” Johnson said in a post on his Instagram account, filmed on the beach in Oahu, Hawaii.

He added that “this story is my culture, and this story is emblematic of our people’s grace, mana and warrior strength.”

Johnson, who will reprise his role as Maui from the Polynesian-set 2016 animated classic, spoke about how personal this project is with respect to his late grandfather, High Chief Peter Maivia.

“In a way, when I bring Maui to life, I’m doing it in the spirit of my grandfather,” he said in the clip.

Johnson said that while he’s very excited to bring a live-action “Moana” to the big screen, they’re still very “early in the process” and there’s a lot more work to be done.

The animated “Moana” hit theaters in 2016 and was a box office smash, grossing over $600 million worldwide.

Auli’i Cravalho starred in the film as Moana, along with Rachel House, Nicole Scherzinger and Temuera Morrison. Johnson did not indicate this week if any of the other original cast members will be returning for the live-action version.

Disney has successfully reimagined several of the studio’s animated classics as live-action movies, beginning with “Beauty and the Beast” in 2017 followed by “Aladdin” and “The Lion King” in 2019, among others. This year, the company will unveil its live-action “The Little Mermaid,” starring Halle Bailey, set to premiere in theaters next month.